High-resolution computed tomography and pure-tone audiometry in patients with otosclerosis in the spongiotic phase.

OBJECTIVE: There is no consensus in the literature regarding the relationship between high-resolution computed tomography findings and hearing thresholds in pure-tone audiometry in otosclerosis. This study evaluated the association between high-resolution computed tomography findings and pure-tone audiometry in otosclerosis in the spongiotic phase. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted of 57 ears with surgically confirmed stapes fixation and tomographic findings. Air conduction and bone conduction thresholds on audiometry, and air-bone gap, were analysed. RESULTS: There were no correlations between sites affected by otospongiosis and air conduction threshold, bone conduction threshold or air-bone gap in the analysed tomographic images, but the diameter of the otospongiotic focus was greater in the presence of extension of the otospongiotic foci to the cochlear endosteum. CONCLUSION: There were no relevant associations between high-resolution computed tomography findings and pure-tone audiometric measurements. However, the diameter of the otospongiotic focus was greater in the presence of extension of the otospongiotic foci to the cochlear endosteum.

Effect of pantoprazole administered subcutaneously on the healing of sutured gastric incisions in rats.

BACKGROUND: The properties of proton pump inhibitors most investigated are related to peptic diseases and upper gastrointestinal bleeding, but their influence on the healing of sutured gastric incisions has not been assessed. In the present study we evaluated the effect of subcutaneously administered pantoprazole on the healing of sutured gastric incisions in rats. METHODS: Sixty rats were divided into a pantoprazole group and a control group. All rats were submitted to gastric suture in the gastric body and in the gastric fundus and had their gastric pH measured. The pantoprazole group received 20 mg/kg pantoprazole and the control group received 0.9% isotonic NaCl, both subcutaneously t.i.d. Healing analysis was carried out using collagen picrosirius red F3BA staining, and breaking strength was measured on the 4th and 7th postoperative days in all groups. RESULTS: Gastric pH was higher in the pantoprazole group. In the fundus, the pantoprazole group had a higher measurement of breaking strength and a higher proportion of type-I over type-III collagen on the 7th postoperative day. In the body, the pantoprazole group had a higher proportion of type-I over type-III collagen on the 4th and 7th postoperative days. CONCLUSIONS: Pantoprazole given subcutaneously promoted a reduction in gastric acid secretion and was associated with improved healing of the sutured gastric incision in the fundus (squamous epithelium) of rats. These findings suggest that pantoprazole has healing properties in sutured gastric incisions with potential benefits in gastric surgery.

Donor quality of life after living donor liver transplantation.

Living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) for children and adults has gained widespread acceptance due to the severe organ shortage. LDLT provides potential recipients with timely transplantation, but this procedure engenders a potentially significant risk to the donor. This study analyzed medical, functional, and psychological donor outcomes after LDLT. Nineteen donors (mean age 33.9 +/- 12 years), who underwent hepatectomy for LDLT (13 right lobectomy for adult LDLT) from March 1998 to November 2002, were interviewed at a median of 13 months after donation (range, 2 to 58 months). According to the Clavien System classification, major complications occurred in three donors (16%), and minor in four (21%). The mean length of hospital stay was 5.7 +/- 1.6 days. Five patients (27%) needed rehospitalization. Complete recovery was achieved at a mean time of 8.5 +/- 3.5 weeks. All 19 donors were able to return to predonation activities. The donor's relationship to the recipient and to their families was improved after donation in all cases; 12 (63%) cited a positive psychological impact on their lives. About 90% would donate again and 84% would recommend donation to someone contemplating it. In conclusion, all donors are alive and well after donation and were able to return to their predonation occupation. Most of them felt that this experience changed their lives for the better and would donate again. Donor safety and quality of life should remain the priority in all donation processes.

[Results of liver transplantation in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma]. / Resultados do transplante hepático em portadores de hepatocarcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Hepatocellular carcinoma is one of the most common malignancies worldwide. Liver transplantation has emerged as a good option for early-stage hepatocellular carcinoma yielding survival rates as good as for recipients without this type of tumor. OBJECTIVE: To assess the outcome of cirrhotic patients with hepatocellular carcinoma undergoing liver transplantation at the Liver Transplantation Service of the "Hospital de Clinicas", Federal University of Paraná, Curitiba, PR, Brazil. METHODS: Retrospective study of cirrhotic patients with hepatocellular carcinoma undergoing orthotopic liver transplantation at the mentioned Institution between September 1991 and September 2000. The diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma was established during the pretransplant workup in five patients and the tumor was an incidental finding in the native liver in three. The indication for liver transplantation was restricted to solitary tumor equal to or less than 5 cm or up to 3 nodules, with each nodule measuring less than 3 cm, and no evidence of vascular invasion or extrahepatic spread. Patient survival and evidence of tumoral recurrence posttransplant were evaluated. RESULTS: The most common cause for pretransplantation liver disease was hepatitis C virus (50%). On examination of the explanted liver, the majority of patients (6/8, 75%) had a single lesion; one patient had two nodules and one had a multifocal hepatocellular carcinoma found incidentally in the native liver. Tumor size ranged from 0.2 to 5.0 cm. All cases had neither vascular invasion nor linfonodal envolvement. All patients remained alive and free of tumor recurrence at the time of the study with a mean follow-up of 18.5 months (range, 5-29 months). CONCLUSION: Liver transplantation is a good therapeutic option for early stage hepatocellular carcinoma arising in cirrhotic patients. With proper selection, liver transplantation can offer excellent survival rates free of tumor recurrence.

A multivariate model to determine prognostic factors in gastrointestinal fistulas.

BACKGROUND: Some studies have identified and selected factors that were associated with prognosis in patients with gastrointestinal fistulas, but a multivariate analysis to determine their relative importance and independent predictive value has not been done. The aim of this study was to determine independent prognostic factors for fistula closure and death in patients with gastrointestinal fistulas using a multivariate model. STUDY DESIGN: Several variables were assessed related to spontaneous closure, surgical closure, and mortality in 188 patients with digestive fistulas (duodenal 22.3%, jejunoileal 28.7%, colonic 23.9%, biliopancreatic 25%). Selection of the variables was done through a forward stepwise logistic regression procedure; the final models were used to estimate the probability of closure, either spontaneous or surgical, and the probability of death. RESULTS: Variables significant for spontaneous closure were: cause of the fistula (p = 0.027), fistula output (p = 0.037), institutional origin of the patient (p = 0.026), and occurrence of complications (p<0.001). Organ of origin of the fistula was only marginally significant (p = 0.068). Successful surgical closure was significantly associated with the presence of complications (p = 0.001) and was marginally associated with age (p = 0.069). Variables significant for death were fistula output (p = 0.009) and the presence of complications (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that the likelihood of spontaneous fistula closure is higher for fistulas with surgical causes, low output, and with no complications. Mortality is higher in patients with complications and with high-output fistulas.

Custo do transplante hepático no Hospital de Clínicas da Universidade Federal do Paraná / Cost of liver transplantation at the Clinical Hospital of Parana, Brazil

Objetivo. Determinar o custo do transplante hepático no Hospital de Clínicas da Universidade Federal do Paraná. Método. Os dados do prontuário de 24 pacientes submetidos a 25 transplantes hepáticos foram avaliados do dia da internaçao para o transplante hepático até a data da alta hospitalar ou óbito para determinar o número de dias de internaçao, o local de internaçao, a quantidade de material e medicamentos usados, os exames complementares e procedimentos realizados. Honorários médicos nao foram incluídos no estudo. Resultados. A idade dos pacientes variou de 6 a 56 anos, tendo seis deles menos que 14 anos de idade. Cinco pacientes foram a óbito durante a internaçao hospitalar. Retransplante foi realizado em somente um paciente. O custo médio da retirada do fígado do doador foi de US$ 2,783.19. O custo total do transplante hepático variou amplamente entre os pacientes, na dependência de ocorrência de complicaçoes pós-operatórias, do número de dias de internaçao hospitalar e da quantidade de transfusao de hemoderivados. O custo total variou de US$ 6,359.84 a US$ 75,434.18, com média de US$ 21,505.53. O item mais caro do transplante hepático foi o custo com a hemoterapia, seguido do custo com medicamentos e diária hospitalar. Conclusao. O custo do transplante hepático varia muito entre os pacientes e pode ser realizado no Brasil a um custo inferior ao relatado nos Estados Unidos e na Europa.

[Cost of liver transplantation at the Clinical Hospital of the University of Parana, Brazil]. / Custo do transplante hepático no Hospital de Clínicas da Universidade Federal do Paraná.

PURPOSE: To determine the cost of liver transplantation at the Clinical Hospital of the Federal University of Parana. METHODS: The data of 24 patients subjected to 25 liver transplantations were evaluated from the day of hospital admission until the day of discharge to determine the length of hospitalization, quantity of material and medications used, and exams and procedures performed. Professional fees were not included in the study. RESULTS: The age of the patients varied from 6 to 56 years. Six patients were younger than 14 years of age. Five patients died during hospitalization. Retransplantation was performed in only one patient. The average cost for liver procurement was US$ 2,783.19. The total cost of the liver transplantation varied, depending on the occurrence of complications, length of hospitalization and the amount of blood products transfused. The total cost varied from US$ 6,359.84 to US$ 75,434.18, with an average of US$ 21,505.53. The most expensive item of the liver transplantation was blood products transfused, followed by medications, and intensive care and room charges. CONCLUSIONS: The cost of liver transplantation varies among the patients and may be performed in Brazil at a cost less than that reported in the United States and Europe.

Gastrointestinal motility of patients with Roux-en-Y reconstruction.

The electromyographic activity of the gastrointestinal tract was studied in 28 patients undergoing gastric, biliary, and pancreatic operations with reconstruction of the gastrointestinal tract with a Roux-en-Y limb. The Roux-en-Y limb was constructed 1 to 5 years before the study in 8 patients (chronic Roux-en-Y) and at the operation in which the electrodes were implanted in 20 patients (recent Roux-en-Y). All four phases of the migrating motor complex (MMC) were identified in the gastrointestinal tract, including in the Roux-en-Y limb. The duration of the MMC was 82.4 +/- 22.3 min in the patients with chronic Roux-en-Y and 89.0 +/- 25.1 min in the patients with recent Roux-en-Y. Food ingestion converted the MMC to the fed pattern in the entire gastrointestinal tract, including the Roux-en-Y limb in 16 (76.2%) of 21 recordings of the patients with chronic Roux-en-Y and in 27 (84.4%) of 32 recordings of the patients with recent Roux-en-Y. The duration of the fed pattern was 170 +/- 34 min in the patients with chronic Roux-en-Y and 154 +/- 26 min in the patients with recent Roux-en-Y. The findings of this study indicate that the electromyographic activity of the Roux-en-Y limb is normal during both fasting and fed states, even many years after the construction of the Roux-en-Y.

Electromyography of the small bowel following inversion of a jejunal segment in dogs

A atividade mioeletrica do intestino delgado foi estudada apos a inversao de um segmento jejunal em sete caes. Sete pares de eletrodos bipolares foram implantados na camada seromuscular do intestino delgado em diferentes locais, incluindo a alca jejunal invertida. Os registros eletromiograficos foram obtidos no 7§ e 10§ dias pos-operatorios, durante os periodos de jejum e alimentar. O complexo mioeletrico migratorio (CMM) estava presente em todos os locais registrados, inclusive na alca jejunal invertida. A duracao do CMM duodenal foi 70,3ñ14,8 minutos...

Electromyographic evaluation of the gastrointestinal tract in patients with chronic Roux-en-Y limb.

Recently, a Roux-en-Y stasis syndrome was described in a few patients after gastric operations. Although the clinical long term results are usually good, the motility of Roux-en-Y biliary limb has not been evaluated yet. In the present study, we report electromyographic studies of the gastrointestinal tract of two patients with chronic Roux-en-Y hepaticojejunostomy. These two patients provided a unique opportunity to evaluate the electromyographic activity of chronic Roux-en-Y limb in humans after one to five years. Seven pairs of bipolar extracellular electrodes were implanted in the antrum, duodenum, proximal part of the jejunum (15 centimeters proximal to the jejunojejunostomy), distal part of the jejunum (15 centimeters distal to the jejunojejunostomy), ileum, proximal Roux-en-Y limb and distal Roux-en-Y limb. All four phases of the migrating motor complex (MMC) were identified in the antrum and small intestine, including the Roux-en-Y limb, almost simultaneously to phase III in the duodenum. In the other two recordings (25 per cent), there was no relationship between phase III in the Roux-en-Y limb and that in the duodenum. Ingestion of food caused substitution of the MMC by the fed activity pattern in all recordings in the antrum and small intestine, including the Roux-en-Y limb. The findings of the present study indicate that the electromyographic activity of the Roux-en-Y limb may remain normal during fasting and fed states even many years after its creation.